Animal passions

seangoh said:

I just read this so i thought i'd post here..hmm...

When the wife yields her body and mind to the control of her husband, being passive to his will in all things, sacrificing her conscience, her dignity, and even her identity, she loses the opportunity of exerting that mighty influence for good which she should possess, to elevate her husband. She could soften his stern nature, and her sanctifying influence could be exerted in a manner to refine and purify, leading him to strive earnestly to govern his passions, and be more spiritually minded, that they might be partakers together of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. The power of influence can be great to lead the mind to high and noble themes, above the low, sensual indulgences for which the heart unrenewed by grace naturally seeks. If the wife feels that in order to please her husband she must come down to his standard, when animal passion is the principal basis of his love, and controls his actions, she displeases God; for she fails to exert a sanctifying influence upon her husband. If she feels that she must submit to his animal passions without a word of remonstrance, she does not understand her duty to him nor to her God. Sexual excess will effectually destroy a love for devotional exercises, will take from the brain the substance needed to nourish the system, and will most effectually exhaust the vitality. No woman should aid her husband in this work of self-destruction. She will not do it if she is enlightened, and has true love for him. {RH, September 26, 1899 par. 8}

The more the animal passions are indulged, the stronger do they become, and the more violent will be their clamors for indulgence. Let God-fearing men and women awake to their duty. Many professed Christians are suffering with paralysis of nerve and brain because of their intemperance in this direction. Rottenness is the bones and marrow of many who are regarded as good men, who pray and weep, and who stand in high places, but whose polluted carcasses will never pass the portals of the heavenly city. {RH, September 26, 1899 par. 9}

Click to expand...

Tangnefedd said:

My carpet is badly bitten having read the first part of the thread!!!! Any women yielding her body and mind to the control of a man is inviting a form of slavery. !!!!

Click to expand...

mbams said:

I may be the only one, but I have to say I am GLAD to have someone say that married life is not all about sex. Although I don’t agree with the argument of the article, I think it brings attention to something I think really should to be addressed. I think the media has taught us that sex is paramount, and the church has purchased this lie. Yes, sex in marriage is important, but eating healthy is important, submitting to one another is important, feeding the poor, visiting those in prison, and being a wise stewards of the earth are all very important as well. I think it IS unhealthy to allow one part of your life, such as sex, to become so consuming. People can sometimes become obsessed with sex in marriage, and I don’t think this is healthy. I like to eat well, but if I became obsessed over it becomes unhealthy as well. We need to keep Christ as our focus in marriage, and the peripheral things in balance. Sure, the extreme Victorian mentality of repressing sexuality, even in privacy of marriage, is off balance, but the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction to sometimes reducing sex in marriage to selfish pleasure seeking lust.

If I was not married, I would be extremely turned off from doing so by many of the posts on this board. Sex is only one part of marriage, and it is something that I think should be private and comfortable, and not attempting to imitative the plastic sexual lust-fest that the world offers. The best advice I received about marriage is that “it is not all about sex. Focus on knowing and loving one another, and let sex simply be an expression of that”. I think we have in many ways lost our sense of sexual decency by bringing the world’s lust to our marriages and vice versa.

Click to expand...

When the wife yields her body and mind to the control of her husband, being passive to his will in all things, sacrificing her conscience, her dignity, and even her identity, she loses the opportunity of exerting that mighty influence for good which she should possess, to elevate her husband.

Click to expand...